Tom Hardy used his son as a 'guide' for Venom

Tom Hardy didn't know who Venom was and so he used his son as a "guide".

The 40-year-old actor has been cast as Eddie Brock in the upcoming Marvel movie and Tom has revealed he was "versed" in the ways of the anti-hero by his 10-year-old son Louis.

Speaking to Total Film magazine, Tom confessed: "I'm not going to lie, I just thought he was a black Spider-Man. I didn't really read comic books, so my information was limited.

"But I was given loads of comics when I got involved. All the comics! And more importantly, I had my son as my guide ... I was versed in the way of Venom by a 10-year-old. I consulted the oracle, there. And he would steer me on."

The 'Legend' actor will be playing Eddie Brock and his alter ego on at least two more occasions if his upcoming film is a box-office success.

And Tom has admitted he "enjoyed" playing the role of the infamous anti-hero.

He said: "I was like, 'This is a great character, because he's a diverse anti-hero. He's not a good guy, and he's not a bad guy.' He's connected to this alien who's not from this planet.

"They've got to figure out an ethical framework between the two of them, and neither of them are run-of-the-mill types. There's this kind of odd couple [relationship] between the two of them. I enjoyed the Jekyll and Hyde nature of that, in a superhero world."